AFTER its debut last year, the city’s only festive dog market event is heading back to Cleveland this month.
Santa Paws at the Park will be held at Norm Price Park, Redland Showgrounds on Sunday, November 18, in support of Animal Welfare League Queensland.
The event will feature more than 80 stalls selling local dog and pet products and services, as well as talks and demonstrations and prizes for best dressed and best trick.
Santa Paws, rather than Santa Claus, will be available to take pictures with the dogs and will arrive by husky-drawn sleigh.
Paws at the Park co-founder Jenna Schroeder said the team was excited to bring the event back to the Redlands after the success of events on the Gold Coast.
In August, a Gold Coast Paws at the Park event attracted more than 10,000 people with their dogs from all over south-east Queensland.
Collectively, the events have raised more than $15,000 for Animal Welfare League Queensland.
Paws at the Park co-founder Lia Ferguson said the event was born from a desire to support small businesses.
"Large pet expo events are so popular around Australia but are often not attainable for small and hobby businesses to attend due to cost,” she said.
“There is also a strong demand from the community for more free, pet friendly events.
“We therefore saw the need for a community and small business focused event and the response has been overwhelming from both stallholders and attendees who love all of the unique products and services on offer.”
Paws at the Park is joining forces with Redland City Council and Griffith University's joint program Leave It to help dog owners experiencing any problems with their dogs.
There will be free talks and demonstrations on the day to give owners dog-training advice.
Paws at the Park will be held at the Redland Showgrounds from 9am to 2pm on November 18, and is free to enter.
For more information, visit https://www.pawsatthepark.com.au/ or the Paws at the Park Facebook page.